1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a multi-element housing for the containment of multiple membrane separation elements, preferably spiral wound elements, mounted in parallel in a containment vessel.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past when multiple elements have been housed in parallel within a single pressure containment vessel the tube sheets used to produce separate feed/retentate and permeate zones have been mounted at opposite ends of the membrane elements. This has resulted in difficulties being encountered in the installation of and replacement of membrane elements in the housing because of space limitations between the membrane elements and the short distances between the opposing tube sheets. Normally, to replace even a single element, it has been necessary to disassemble the top or bottom tube sheet from all the elements in the housing. Alignment problems have also been encountered and strict machining protocols and procedures are required to assure precise alignment between the element mounting flanges on the opposing faces of the tube sheets.